


Reset: So this is what lucky feels like

by CookieDoughMe



Category: Haven (TV)
Genre: Haven - Fandom - Freeform, Haven Forever, Multi, OT3, Post-Series, Post-Troubles (Haven), Threegulls, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-06-26
Packaged: 2018-06-10 01:09:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6931813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CookieDoughMe/pseuds/CookieDoughMe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers for the final episode  (Season 5.2, Episode 26, Forever). Takes place directly afterwards, with a little alternative reality thrown in. Assumes everything happened except the last few minutes of Forever.<br/>I couldn't make my mind up how I wanted this to go, so there are two versions. The first one (<a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/6920107">here</a>) was the more canon-compliant; this one starts out the same but has more of an OT3 thing (by which I mean, is entirely an OT3 thing). And also has more chapters.<br/>No need to read the other one first. Although obviously I would love it if you read it at some point ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if everything we watched happened; and yet our heroes all get a happy ending afterall?  
> Takes place towards the end of “Forever”, the day the Troubles end.

“Thank you!” Duke waved to another group of happy tourists as they left The Gull to go and do happy-tourist things, their New York accents echoing off the walls as they went.

Clearing their table he saw a copy of the Haven Herald, left open on the apparently traffic-stopping news of CAT STUCK IN TREE. Duke shook his head, what must they make of a quiet little town like this he thought, where the most eventful thing that happens is a crowd of people rescuing an angry cat?

The table cleared, he made his way back behind the bar, and was glad of it to hold on to a moment later when his vision went white and his legs gave out. It felt like someone - something - was squeezing his brain. The light was blinding, but it wasn't really light. More like, information streaming into his head, a whole other lifetime filling his brain. A lifetime he had lived but not remembered now became a lifetime he remembered but had not lived.

He staggered to a chair and crashed down into it. Yesterday he had worked in The Gull, spoken to Vicky about buying one of her paintings to hang in here. Yesterday he had fought for control of his body from some otherworldly evil and begged Nathan Wuornos to kill him so it couldn't take control of him again. Yesterday, he had spoken to Nathan for the first time in months and handed the keys to the apartment upstairs over to Detective Parker. Yesterday Audrey had told him “We love you,” as Nathan had done what he'd asked and killed him before it was too late.

New memories kept coalescing in his head, making sense of themselves as everything slotted into place. He could almost feel new neurons and connections firing. What in the hell was happening?

He sat there for a while, thankfully on his own for the time being. It would start to get busy again before too long, but for the moment he had the place to himself. He came to understand that the Troubles had happened. He had died to take back control of his body and to avoid making things worse for Haven. And he had left Nathan and Audrey and the others trying to end the Troubles for good. Which apparently they had managed to do with style, because he was fairly sure this was now the quiet, peaceful little town it was always supposed to have been. They had not only ended the Troubles, they had made it so they'd never happened at all.

Which was all grand, but why did he remember it? Why did he remember both? Was he the only one to remember? He should talk to Nathan and Audrey, but what if they didn't have a clue what he was talking about? How could he ask that question?

He grunted to himself and staggered back to the bar for a whiskey, downing one quickly and then pouring another, trying to think things through logically; one step at a time. If he remembered, then Audrey at least surely would as well. And that meant she would remember him being both alive and dead. So sooner or later, she would probably come to find out which he was, like the proverbial Shroedinger to his cat, he thought with a huff. So the best thing to do would be to stay here (with the whiskey) and see if anyone came to find him.

-

Chief of Police Nathan Wuornos and his new detective Audrey Parker were going over some paperwork when she seemed to blank out on him. He started to ask her what was wrong, but then it hit him too - a bright, blinding white light that wasn't really there, the mother of all migraines and then everything was different. She wasn't just Detective Parker any more, she was Audrey, his Audrey. She had been Sarah and Lucy and Lexie and they had been through at least one lifetime together in the last five years. She had given her life to save this town. Except … she just got here and they hardly knew each other and … breathe, he told himself … just breathe, one breath at a time.

He sat there for a while, processing and getting his head around it and then he looked across the room. She looked as stunned as he felt and then they way she said his name “Nathan”, both soft and intense at once; he knew the same thing had just happened to her. They stood at the same time and met in the middle of the room to hold onto each other, standing there like that for a while, not moving, not able to speak. Just taking it all in.

The door opened to Stan with some paperwork. He gaped at them for a minute, then backed out of the room and shut the door. Nathan locked it after him and they sat on the sofa, dazed.

“You saved us Audrey, you saved Haven for good.”

“I don't understand why we get to be here. When did we get this lucky?“

“The new Barn must have taken the Troubles as a whole. Reset us to a Haven without them,” suggested Nathan. “Besides, don't we deserve a little luck after all that? I thought I'd really lost you this time.”

She squeezed his hand. “I guess we really did it,” she said, amazed.

They sat and talked as afternoon started to turn to evening. People knocked on the door; they ignored them. The phone rang; they let it. The reality they’d started the day with was slowly but surely becoming like something remembered from a long time ago and far away. But it was also taking a while to process what had happened to them.

“Oh my god,” Audrey breathed, and Nathan looked at her worried. “Duke,” she finished.

“Oh god,” said Nathan. The memory had been there, along with all the others. He just hadn't processed it properly yet. Perhaps because it would be one of the most painful to, the last time he'd seen Duke pushing into his consciousness like the worst kind of nightmare.

“But I just met him yesterday,” said Audrey, tears in her eyes.

After a moment, Nathan said “But that's right, you did. If we’re really in some kind of Trouble-free alternative reality, then he might be ok? He might be fine?”

“We have to go to The Gull,” said Audrey. “Now.”

-

Nathan drove too fast, though part of him wanted to never get there in case they weren't quite that lucky afterall.

Half way there Audrey's phone rang. “Hello Vince,” she said with a quick glance at Nathan. Would Vince remember too?

There was just a little pause during which she almost thought she could hear Vince and Dave glaring at each other and then Vince said, “Does the name Mara mean anything to you?”

“Vince! You remember.”

“And so do you! This is very strange,” he said, but he sounded relieved.

“This just happened to you this afternoon?“

“Yes, to me and Dave.”

“Dave’s alive? He’s OK?”

“He’s OK.”

“I’m with Nathan. We're just on the way to The Gull, to see if Duke is …” she wasn't sure how to finish the sentence, but Vince didn't mind.

“Good,” he said. “Let me know?“

“Of course.”

“Perhaps we should all meet up tomorrow? At the Herald? We'll be there anyway, we’re going to check if there's any record of any Troubles left. I can't remember being in the new Barn, so I’m not exactly sure what was supposed to happen, but I think it took the aether clean away; left no trace of itself.“

“It seems like it’s done that pretty well. But then why do we remember?”

“I’m not sure. But … it would make sense that Duke would be affected too. We all had some direct connection to the void, or the aether, or had been in the barn.”

“I hope you’re right. We’ll see you both tomorrow. And thanks.”

As she hung up Nathan said, “This morning Duke was just some guy I used to play pool with, and nearly arrested a bunch of times. And now, he … I mean I … I can still see him in front of me, asking me to … and once I wanted to, but by then … I mean, I meant what I said to him you know, every word.”

“I know” Audrey reassured him, “He did too.“

“If Dave is alive and remembers, that must mean Duke will as well right?”

“I hope so,” she replied.

But she was rattled as well . She had just met him yesterday when he gave her the keys to her new place. And yet, she had met him years ago when he saved her from drowning. They had said goodbye as landlord and tenant, and yet she had said goodbye with tears in her eyes as he gave his life for them. “Oh god.” she said. But then they were there.

They drove up and parked, The Gull was busy; Taco Tuesday was in full swing.

“It's still The Gull,” noted Audrey. “Everything looks the same. That's got to be a good sign, right?“

Nathan didn't appear to have heard her and as she walked around the Bronco she saw why. There was Duke, sat on the stairs to her place as though waiting for them. He stood up when he saw them and just stared.

“Duke,” Audrey said, meaning to call to him, although it came out as more of a whisper. But it was enough to spur Nathan into walking towards him. Audrey followed Nathan and she could see from the look on Duke’s face that he remembered, that he had indeed been waiting for them, waiting for confirmation that they remembered too, she realised. She kicked herself that they hadn’t headed over here earlier.

“Nate,” Duke began, as Nathan came within a few long strides of him, but he just kept walking and then they were wrapped around each other in the kind of hug that barely allows room to breathe. They stood there, heads on each others shoulders and Audrey thought they looked like they were holding each other up. Possibly they were.

She’d stopped a few steps away and stood there watching them for a moment. It was Duke! He was alive and well and whole and aether-free. As she walked closer she heard muttered words from both of them, “... fuck …”, “... afraid it was just me …”

When she drew level with them Duke saw her and somehow managed to move himself from Nathan's hug to hers with no apparent gap between. She didn't know what to say. They just stood there for a moment before Duke said, “It's too busy in there,” and Audrey led them up the stairs to her place. It was only when she opened the door that she remembered she'd actually only just moved in; everything was still in boxes and there was a noticeable lack of furniture.

“What happened to all your stuff?”

“I just moved in, remember? You just gave me the key yesterday,” she said to Duke. “All I have so far is boxes and a bed.”

But it was a warm night and so they sat on the little folding chairs and table the last tenants had left on the balcony. Audrey brought out the bottle of champagne Duke had left for her in his role as friendly landlord.

“These were the nearest to champagne glasses I could find without unpacking a whole load of stuff,” she said, putting an odd collection of mugs on the table.

“As long as they hold alcohol, I don’t care what we drink from,” said Duke. “One bottle doesn’t seem like enough though, I’ll get someone to send up some more.”

Audrey poured as Duke made a phone call and then they toasted to a safe Haven, Audrey looking out over the evening view.

“The lighthouse is still there,” she noticed.

“I don’t know whether to be more surprised that it’s there, or that I expected it not to be,” said Nathan.

“It's such a strange thing,“ said Duke. “I want to be happy. I am happy about this. But I also still feel all the deaths that I caused, the awful things that Croatoan made me do ...”

“Hey,” said Audrey, taking his hand. “It wasn't your fault. It was the Troubles. It was Croatoan and William and Mara. If it was anyone's fault it was mine.”

“You're not Mara” said Duke and Nathan together with feeling.

“I know, but … you know what I mean. The whole point of me being here was to help and maybe I could have done that better. I could have … I don’t know. I'm so sorry for everything that happened to you Duke. A lot of that was because of me, because of things I asked you to do.”

“Maybe. But I think it was bound to happen that way. Destiny gives us a part to play,” he said.

“A lot of those deaths were my fault too,” said Nathan. “There was some truth in what they said during that trial in the school; when I shot Agent Howard I made a huge mess. You wouldn't have had to go through everything you did if it weren't for me.”

“Maybe,” Duke said again. “And thanks, both for saying it. But I know you didn’t set out to turn me into Croatoan s puppet. And if the Troubles really are gone, then maybe it was worth it for a clean slate.“

Audrey suddenly reached for her phone. “Vince,” she said by way of explanation, “I told him I'd let him know if you were OK. I spoke to him on the way here. Him and Dave are going to the Herald tomorrow to check the archives for any record of the Troublesl. I said we’d meet them there.”

“We can check the police records as well,” suggested Nathan. “If the new Barn really erased all the Troubles clean away, then all these deaths we feel guilty about; well they never actually happened. Not outside of our memories anyway.”

The little table was small and they were all leaning forward, arms on the table, elbows and knees touching. So Duke didn’t have to move far as he reached forward and pushed Nathan sleeve down his arm, Nathan's eyes growing wide wondering what he was doing until Duke nodded down at him, “No tattoo,” he said, rubbing his thumb over the spot where it had been as if to make sure. “I never thought it would really be you, you know. No matter how much we fought or what happened, I never really believed you'd set out to kill me. And of course you never did. I'd almost forgotten clean about that prediction until I saw that tattoo, in that last moment … But in the end, I was glad of it; that it was you I mean, both of you there.”

Duke held Nathan’s gaze as he continued to hold his arm, Nathan still as a statue. Then just as Nathan was about to respond, the champagne arrived.

“Here you are; two bottles of … um, are you OK?“

“Yes! We are all fantastic!” said Duke with a smile. He turned to face Scott, leaning against Nathan even as he left his hand where it was on his arm.

“Just so you know, there's a woman making a fuss about the cocktails. Something about how the Kahlua should be ‘homemade’. She wanted to speak to the owner,” said Scott, pointed over the side of the balcony to the deck full of customers below.

Duke stood up to lean over the railing and caught her angry voice drifting up to them on the cooling evening air, “.... it’s not hard and the White Russians would be a lot better.”

“Wait, I know her - look who it is.”

“Lisa,” said Audrey.

Nathan looked over Duke’s shoulder, “Exploding Girl.”

“Hey lady,“ Duke shouted down to her, “If you don't like the White Russians, order something else. We have plenty of options to choose from. Life could be worse you know.”

She shook her head at him, “We’ll be taking our business elsewhere. Come on Geoffery,” and she grabbed her boyfriend to leave.

“For all she complained, she sure drank enough of it,” commented Scott.

Duke just smiled as he watched them walk off together, hand in hand.

“You need anything else?” asked Scott.

“Thanks. I think we're all good.“

“Anything and anyone she touched exploded,” said Nathan, remembering.

“And now she’s fine. And her boyfriend’s fine. It really is all gone isn't it?” said Duke, the full reality of the situation finally starting to really sink in.

Audrey nodded, “No one even knows that anything happened.“

They toasted their new reality with more champagne.

“You saved us,” said Nathan. “Both of you, you offered your lives to save this town for good. There should be medals and parades thanking you, but no one even remembers.”

“No one remembers the fear and the confusion and the death.” said Audrey. “I think that's the best reward we could ever hope for. Besides, the same goes for you. You were willing to die too and you risked your life countless times.”

“This, the two of you here, actual and whole, this is all the thanks I would ever look for.”

Duke poured them more champagne, bumping elbows and knees with both of them in a way that was somewhat unavoidable given the small table they are sat round, though possibly somewhat deliberate as well.

“I am so glad though that you two remember” said Duke. “Before you got here, I was sat on those steps thinking it might be just me. I wasn't sure I'd be able to carry those memories alone.”

“You're not alone Duke,“ said Audrey taking his hand.

Then Nathan took the other and that was all it took for the mood to change. Duke gripped Audrey's hand tightly in his, as he ran his other thumb over Nathan's skin. He almost wanted to ask, to check if Nathan could feel it. But he looked at him and saw that he could. Saw it in a hitch in Nathan’s breath, saw it in his widened eyes, the way he was about to say something, but had gone very still.

Duke titled his head at Nathan, raised an eyebrow and drew his fingers gently along Nathan’s until they intertwined, their hands wrapped up in each other.

“There's a question in those eyes,” observed Audrey.

“More of an offer really,” Duke clarified. “And it’s not just my eyes that are available,” he added, watching Nathan as he played footsie under the table with Audrey. She pushed her fingers through Duke’s as she ran her other hand up Nathan’s arm.

Nathan felt them either side of him, their hands on him, knees bumping under the tiny table. He felt the warmth of their bodies in the failing evening, he felt the pressure of their gaze on him; a hungry gaze that he’d felt from Audrey before, but hadn’t ever expected to see on Duke’s face … and yet which made perfect sense there too. He looked back at him and suspected he was wearing a similar expression himself. He felt all of these things in this moment, but most of all he felt the weight of their past few years, the memories of what they’d been through together, what they had done for each other and how well he knew these two people beside him. He felt the weight of his breath in his chest, which was suddenly not quite co-operating properly, competing for space with the thudding beat of his heart.

“Look,” said Duke after a moment. “I don't want this evening to end. I don’t want to go and I don't want either of you to go anywhere. I know it’s late and maybe you want to be alone, but right now I feel like I don't want to let go of either of you ever again. I’m yours if you’ll have me, both of you. And maybe it's just my fine champagne talking, but even so I'm not sure I care. Tell me to go if you like, but that's how it is.”

Audrey for once had nothing to say. She squeezed both their hands and watched Nathan closely. It should have been an odd moment, this. There may have been the beginnings of something between her and Duke once, but that had been a long time ago and she had been with Nathan for what seemed like even longer. And now here was Duke propositioning both of them and … it should have felt odd, but it didn’t. It should have been strange, but it felt like the most obvious thing in the world. And so she waited to see what Nathan would say to him.

“Let's …” Nathan coughed, tried again; “Let's go inside.“

-

Some time later, after the remaining champagne on the balcony has gone flat, after the last customers have finally cleared out of the bar and the place is quiet and shut, after the moon has sailed half way across the sky, there lies a trail of clothing from Audrey’s door, winding its way around boxes and leading across the room to a bed full of tousled hair and sleepy smiles.

After Nathan had led them inside, Audrey reached up to kiss Duke as she wrapped her arm around Nathan’s waist to draw him close. And then they had kissed, all three of them in quick urgent bursts that left little room to breathe, punctuated by hands that held so tightly they’d left marks on each other’s skin. Their relief at being alive and together had transformed into a hunger to be close, to feel the warmth of the other two and the solidity of their physical presence; the touch of their skin. It had created a desire to show each other what the last few months (and years) had meant and what it meant now, for the three of them to be alive in a world where the Troubles were over.

It meant that no mere hug was ever going to be enough.

And so now they lie together, wrapped up in the sheets and each other, listening to the waves and the breeze and the quiet, peaceful night.

“I can't tell you how lucky I feel,” says Audrey. “Warm and safe and here with my boys.”

“I think we get it,” smiles Nathan.

“Here with my cops,” murmurs Duke, sleepily.

“Here with my heroes,” adds Nathan.

And they drift off to sleep in a tangle of limbs; relaxed, happy and together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by story lines in Lost and Angel and some of the amazing fan fiction on this site (as well as the awesomeness that is Haven itself, obviously) and that familiar desire to just see things work out for the characters you love.  
> And I know that strictly speaking this doesn’t make much sense, because if the Troubles had never happened, the whole town (and all of their lives) would be completely different. Audrey and Jennifer (and Duke?) wouldn’t be in Haven at all. And I don’t have any defence or explanation for that, other than; I wanted to write it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Duke's POV as he wakes up after the night before, in a Trouble-free world.

Duke woke slowly to the sound of his lovers kissing beside him. _Was that the right word_ , he wondered, “lovers”? He to be really, after the things they'd done to each other last night. He never would have imagined Nathan Wournos would be able to make him feel like that. It seemed like both a slightly strange word to apply to the man, and yet absolutely normal, all at once.

He lay there with his eyes closed, comfortable and warm, not wanting to move. The sounds of the ocean drifted in through an open window, but he couldn’t hear anything else; it was quiet. _Well, Haven is a quiet town,_ he remembered. Quiet and still. A place with no need of heroes.

He had wanted to be nothing more than a smuggler and now, there was no reason not to do exactly as he pleased. Well, except for the two detectives at his side. They might not be so inclined to overlook his less-legal activities if he wasn’t also helping them to save the town.

He wouldn’t want to make life difficult for them. And in a quiet Haven, he felt like he might want to stick around anyway. Live the quiet life for a while; simplify things. So, maybe not a smuggler then. Maybe not a pirate. There was The Gull of course. Business should be good in a Trouble-free world; fewer repair bills and more happy tourists. Fewer complications all round. He could get used to that.

He opened his eyes and looked over at his cops. Nathan had his back to Duke, lying face-to-face with Audrey on the other side of the bed. They were deep in conversation now, whispering in each other’s ears, arms wrapped around each other.

_Should I be jealous?_ he wondered briefly. But the fact is, he wasn’t. They had their own relationship with each other and there was plenty for them to talk about. That didn’t mean they weren’t interested in him too. But they hadn’t seen that he was awake and he was torn between not wanting to inadvertently eavesdrop and not wanting to interrupt their conversation. There would be time for other conversations though. There would be plenty of time for things now.

He rolled onto his side and reach his hand across Nathan’s hip to rest on Audrey’s. Nathan turned towards him at his touch, “We were wondering when you’d wake up,” he said, pleased to see him.

“Miss me, did you?” said Duke, joking. He expected Nathan to roll his eyes at him or make a joke in response, but the other man just shrugged his little shrug and simply replied, “Yeah.”

Duke, momentarily thrown by this, stared at him for a second before breaking into a grin and pulling closer for a kiss. “This is a nice way to way up,” he noted.

“So this …. this. The three of us?” Audrey began after a moment, “You’re … this is for real, right? A relationship, not … not just last night?”

Duke smiled; he’d never known her struggle so much to find her words. “I hope so,” he replied. “You?”

“Yes!” she laughed and they both looked at Nathan.

“Yes,” he said. “Part of me wonders why this isn’t strange," he added. "But the fact is; it isn’t. I’m not sure how we explain it to anyone else though.”

“Ppfftt,” said Duke, “Who says we have to? It’s no one else’s business. It’s not like we owe anyone an announcement. If they figure it out, they figure it out,” he shrugged. “What are they going to do against the town’s Chief of Police, ex-FBI detective and owner of the best bar and restaurant around?”

“OK, but … let’s just be a little subtle about it, for a while at least,” said Nathan. “This is a small town afterall. A small and very normal town, now.”

“Sure,” replied Duke. He didn’t see that it mattered, but it wasn’t like he had any particular desire to rush off and tell anyone either. He really had no interest in going anywhere. “So, no one has to work today, right?” he said, and was glad to see them both shake their heads.

“Good, I can cook you both a fine breakfast downstairs and then Audrey, I think we should help you unpack. It’s too surreal that this place is nothing but boxes. But I do have one serious question first. I mean, I don’t want to spend forever talking about this, but Audrey; you remember the others, right? Lexie, Lucy.”

She nodded, “I have all the memories I had when I went into the new barn. So yeah, I remember being Lexie, and snatches of the others. I remember being the Audrey Parker that just moved to Haven and I remember being the Audrey Parker that has memories of being Lucy in the 1980s. It’s strange. I don’t know if all of those memories will last.”

“And …” Duke hesitated. He was afraid to ask in case the answer was yes, but he had to know. “And Mara? Do you remember being her?”

“No, nothing of her.”

“Good,” said Duke with feeling. She squeezed his arm and Nathan reached over to put his hand next to hers.

Duke reached up to Nathan’s arm, “I love that you don’t have a tattoo,” he said, running his fingers over the bare skin. “Never get a tattoo, OK?”

Nathan nodded, “Promise,” he said. “Mara’s gone,” he added, “The Guard is gone, the Crocker legacy is gone. All of that is gone. It’s just us now.”

The moment stretched as they held tight to each other.

“So I think,” began Nathan in a much lighter tone of voice, “The key question right now is, exactly what kind of fine breakfast you’re planning on making us?”

“Ah,” said Duke with a smile. “Well, no. Since I make the best breakfasts when I’m hungry, the key question right now is, what are you two going to do to make sure I work up a good appetite?”

Audrey laughed and Nathan raised an eyebrow at him in a way Duke would come to associate with some very fun times. Nathan pushed himself up to clamber over him so that now Duke had Nathan lying on one side of him and Audrey on the other, their arms wrapped around his chest as though to stop him running off.

“So let me get this straight,” said Audrey. “The louder we make you scream, the better breakfast we get?”

Duke laughed, “Something like that, yeah.”

“Well,” said Nathan, as though this would be a terrible sacrifice. “If there’s breakfast involved,” and kissed Duke’s shoulder as he ran his hand across his chest.

“Think you can make me scream then, do you?”

Kissing his other shoulder and dancing her fingers over his chest in the line Nathan’s had just taken Audrey said, “I think it will be fun to try.”

Duke just grinned.

So this was what lucky felt like.


End file.
